It is known that infant children riding in automotive vehicles are in less danger of being seriously hurt in accidents if they are seated in protective car seats. U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,302 to R. Knoedler et al shows one form that such a car seat can take. Another child's care seat construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,685 to K. Sudoh. U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,600 shows still another car seat construction.
Most child's car seat constructions are designed to restrain and partially surround the child so that in the event of an accident the child will remain within the car seat rather than being thrown out against interior surfaces of the automotive vehicle. Car seat constructions are such that on long trips the child may become restless, due to prolonged inactivity. The child restraints associated with the car seat tend to increase the sense of restlessness that builds up in the child's mind.
The present invention relates to an add-on tray that is attachable to a child's car seat in front of the child. The tray provides a support surface for toys, or a coloring book, or any item that the parent considers useful to make the trip more enjoyable (less stressful) for the child. The tray can also serve as a table to support small jars of baby food while the parent is feeding the child.
An object of the invention is to provide an add-on tray that can be installed quickly on a car seat without special tools.
An additional object is to provide an add-on tray that does not pose a threat of injury to the child in event of an automobile accident.
The tray of this invention is somewhat similar to the tray show in U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,825 to R. Paris, except that the tray of this invention is mounted in place by means of tension springs that hook onto the arm rests of the car seat. The tray shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,829 includes two elongated arms 20 and 21 that are apparently bolted to the child's car seat to hold the tray in place. Special tools would be required to install or remove the tray of U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,829.